Aviva measures safe driver premiums via smartphones

No need for separate telematics device

Motorists are being invited to help develop a new driving app that could earn them a discount of “up to 20 percent" on their motor insurance.

Aviva is using smartphone technology to create individual driver profiles that will be used to calculate tailored pay-how-you-drive premiums.

The driver behavioural app, Aviva RateMyDrive will monitor motorists taking part in the test for 200 miles, including acceleration, braking and cornering. This data is then turned into an individual score which helps determine the motorist’s premium, with "safer" drivers earning up to 20 percent off their Aviva premium.

Steve Treloar, Aviva retail director, said: “We believe this use of smartphone technology will benefit all safe drivers, regardless of age or gender."

He said that unlike traditional "black box" telematics solutions, the Aviva RateMyDrive app only needs a small amount of data – typically 200 miles – to create an individual driver profile. And because the free app uses the customer’s own smartphone there is no need for motorists to have a black box installed in their car.

Related:

For those who complete the RateMyDrive app trial Aviva will provide feedback on their driving and a quote, including any discount "earned" from safer driving, should they wish to take out Aviva insurance.

Treloar said the firm wouldn't heavily penalise other drivers if their driving doesn’ t come up to the standard set by the app. They will just receive the standard premium but won’ t get a discount, he said.

The app has already been trialled by some Aviva staff for a number of months and now the insurer is looking for drivers who have Android-based phones to help further develop the new app. The app will be available to those with other types of smartphones "at a later date", said the firm.

Car insurance firm insurethebox recently announced it was using an IBM business analytics appliance to analyse drivers’ habits and set insurance premiums based on how safe they drive using telematics.

The company is targeting young drivers to encourage safer driving and help reduce the cost of their car insurance. It places a telematics device slightly bigger than a mobile phone under their dashboards and connects it to a GPS and other sensors.

We have been hearing for years how CIOs and senior IT professionals need to bury the hatchet with line of business managers and, instead of focusing on the latest bleeding-edge technology for its own sake, seek to better understand the overall strategic objectives of their organisations.